Local agencies participating in National HIV Testing Day

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is encouraging Kansans to get tested Friday on National HIV Testing Day.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested for HIV. CDC estimates that more than 1.1 million people are living with HIV in the United States and one person in five doesn’t know he or she is infected. Getting tested is the first step to finding out if a person has HIV.

If someone has HIV, getting medical care and taking prescribed medication regularly helps a person live a longer, healthier life and also lowers the chances of passing HIV on to others. In 2012, there were nearly of 3,840 people in Kansas living with HIV/AIDS.

“The first step in preventing HIV from becoming AIDS is to be tested and be tested early in the infection,” said Brenda Walker, Director, KDHE, Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention. “Take the test and take charge of your health. Know your HIV status.”

To find HIV counseling and testing sites near you, visit hivtest.org. Organizations throughout Kansas will offer HIV testing events in observance of National HIV Testing Day.

In Topeka, Positive Connections, Shawnee County Health Agency and the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library are hosting a community health fair. Free rapid HIV testing will be available as well as health screenings and health information provided by additional community partners. The health fair will be 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 SW 10th Ave. For more information, contact Beth McKay at 785-232-3100.